


In Tandem

by ohmyheichou



Series: Falling Forever [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, also by all of the fantasy books i've read, but not really because i haven't seen the movie, magical au, more inspired by fanfics lol, somewhat inspired by pacific rim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-20 16:57:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1518191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyheichou/pseuds/ohmyheichou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Titans are a race of shape-shifting cannibals.</p><p>Alternatively, listening to Erwin yields great things for Levi. Things like Eren Jaeger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which The Author Is Cryptic

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by all of the wonderful Pacific Rim crossover fics I’ve read. Though it’s not actually set in the Pacific Rim universe hahaha  
> Well this is my first fanfic ever (not counting half-finished kink meme fills) so please be kind. Feedback is always appreciated!  
> Also I’m supposed to be studying for finals but SNK has taken over my life, so. That's that.

_They say that the first attacks came 300 years ago. The Titans, so named after the Greek gods of old, began destroying humanity. They were a race of cannibals, so when they attacked a town, they left none alive. It is said that when the first villages fell to the Titans, no one noticed. But then they began attacking larger towns, and soon everyone was on their guard. Towns might suffer greatly under an attack, but they were no longer razed to the ground. They were prepared._

_What they forgot, however, is that it is usually a mistake to become complacent. In war, laziness is a cardinal sin. And so it was. The frequency and viciousness of the Titans’ attacks increased. Humanity suffered greatly, and whole countries were decimated._

_Salvation came in the form of large walls, which for some reason the Titans could not breach. And for 100 years, humanity had peace._

_Sloth is a deadly sin._

~ ~ ~

Armin thinks to himself that humanity has become weak. His books - arcane books that he shouldn’t have had - told him of great sorcerers who battled the Titans and won. He knows of no sorcerers now, and the only religion within the Walls is the Wall Cult, which worships the Walls as God’s gift to mankind. He says as much to Eren and Mikasa. 

He’s proven right when a huge monster breaks through the wall. He wishes he hadn’t been.

~ ~ ~

Mikasa usually keeps her tattoo covered, but sometimes she can’t help herself. It’s the only thing she has left of her mother, and sometimes she just needs to remember her mother, the way she smiled, what she said. _The symbol of our clan._ She doesn’t know what that means, at least until a withered old woman in the landfills grabs her wrist and pulls her aside. She yanks her wrist back easily, but the old woman thrusts a book into her hands. The cover is covered with the same tattoo that Mikasa’s mother branded into her skin. She stops.

And the old woman says, they’re coming, child, and you should be prepared.

~ ~ ~

Eren sometimes feels a strange itch in his mind. He wants to scratch it, but he can’t exactly scratch his brain, so he ignores it the way he ignores everything he doesn’t understand. He yearns to join the Recon Corps and fight the Titans, who still occasionally attempt to breach the Walls, which have so far been impregnable. He doesn’t know that this desire is something much more than a childish desire, that his soul is calling out to the similar ones who are part of the Recon Corps. He doesn’t know, but he still wants.

The Walls come crashing down, and now he _needs_ to join. **Nothing** is going to stop him.

~ ~ ~

Levi flicks his wrist, and the dust on the table gathers itself into a neat little ball on the corner. He sweeps it into his dustpan and moves on to the bedrooms. Hange comes by and asks, bemusedly, “Isn’t that a waste of your power?” 

He glares at her. “Cleaning is hardly a waste.”

She laughs, and replies, “The expedition is tomorrow. You’ll need all your strength!” She knows, and he knows, and she knows he knows, that he has trained his mind to the point where he can command twenty different swords with ease as they go flying through the air into the Titans’ bodies. He doesn’t really need to conserve his strength, but he supposes he shouldn’t rub it in everyone else’s face how strong he is. She adds, almost casually, “Erwin wanted to see you.”

Of course he did. Levi sighs and turns on his heel. Erwin knows that Levi can’t deny him. Not when Erwin’s the one who gave him this new life. He barges into Erwin’s office without ceremony. “Levi,” he says without even a hint of surprise, “Please, sit.”

He does. “What do you want, Erwin?”

Erwin slides a folder across his desk and says, “There’s been a change of plans. I’m canceling the expedition.”

Levi looks up from the folder, eyebrows furrowed and his mouth a thin line, and asks, “What.”

Erwin gestures to the folder, and Levi opens it. Green eyes look up at him and he says, “We’re canceling the expedition for this brat?”

“Not just that brat. Turn to the next profile.”

Levi obeys, and suddenly he can’t breathe. “She’s an Oriental.”

“Indeed. I have no doubt that she will be as strong as you are. The first boy, Eren Jaeger, is a shapeshifter, like the Titans. The last one, Armin Arlert, is a telepath.”

Levi scowls. “Telepathy isn’t useful. You know that. The Titans have telepaths too, even if they’re shitty ones.”

He’s given a small smile, and an exceedingly arrogant- “Telepaths are often extraordinarily intelligent. I’ve always wanted someone to help me with my planning.”

Levi scoffs, “So modest.” He stands. “I suppose we’re going to collect the brats from Trost tomorrow?” 

Erwin doesn’t reply, but Levi already knows the answer, of course. That’s what the Drift does to you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm attempting to finish this with this chapter  
> By the end notes we shall see if I have succeeded

Levi owes everything to Erwin. He doesn't like to think of the Underground, the way men and women alike used to leer at him when he was still a delicate, small-boned child with a magic he couldn't control. He doesn't like to think of it, and that's the problem, of course.

The first time Levi attempts to Drift with Erwin, he drowns. He falls and falls and falls and chokes on the blood of his friends as he weeps for a mother he has never known. He can feel Erwin's presence, cold but steady, on the edges of his nightmares, and he hates it. He yanks himself free of Erwin and of the Drift, surfacing to find that Hange is yelling at him not to do that ever again. He closes his eyes and breathes, once, twice. "I can't do this."

Erwin stands, and says, "I won't force you. But if you wish to practice hiding your memories from me, you can practice on your own, with Hange's assistance." He leaves.

Levi remains where he is, still holding the amulet in his hands. Hange's voice comes to him, soft, concerned, "Levi?"

"I'm fine, Hange. I just need a moment."

~ ~ ~

Drifting is a magical thing, both literally and figuratively. It relies on the power of three crystals, two set in amulets for each partner, and one that stays safely at HQ. Drifting is getting to know someone so intimately that you begin to anticipate their movements even when you are no longer within the Drift. It's friendship, and loyalty, and _trust_.

Levi practices and practices until he can keep his mind calm and utterly devoid of any feeling. Eventually, he realizes that some of those first memories were Erwin's, not his. Erwin, as cold and calculating as he can be, makes no special effort to hide his memories from Levi. Trust comes gradually. It can't be helped, not when their minds fuse and they move as one. Levi finds that he doesn't mind so much, after a while.

~ ~ ~

"It's time," Erwin says. He brings out a smooth black crystal. _The Immortal Fire._

The first time Levi truly Drifts with Erwin, he begins to understand why the Titan Project was discontinued. The Immortal Fire is a dark, malevolent force that can only barely be constrained by the force of two minds. Wreaking havoc upon the Titans is easy, because it thirsts for blood the way men thirst for water. Despite the fact that those with Drift compatibility contribute greatly to the overall safety of the Recon Corps, Levi stops Drifting after the first expedition. The sadism and cruelty embodied by the Immortal Fire is just too tempting for him.

~ ~ ~

Eren Jaeger was been detained as a possible traitor and a definite safety hazard. Levi is impressed by Eren's drive to eradicate the Titans, and he decides to take responsibility for him. What he doesn't realize is that Erwin intends for Levi to Drift with Eren. Erwin is, after all, sneaky like that.

Drifting with Eren is an infinitely different experience from Drifting with Erwin. Erwin is an implacable force in the same way the Walls are implacable: silent and unmoving. Eren is a force of nature. He is a storm, a fire, a flood. He is everything Levi both loves and hates. He is passion, rage, determination, and Levi has never been so grateful for Erwin's conniving soul. For the first time in his existence, Levi has hope, because Eren is pure in a way no one he knows is. With Eren, he thinks he can Drift again. With Eren, they can defeat the Titans. With Eren, he can be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to you, I had a better ending in my head.  
> It just didn't translate to words.


End file.
